Cash for seat: Speaker summons MPs to emergency sitting on January 5

The Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Oquaye has recalled the House to an emergency sitting on Friday, January 5, 2018.

It follows a memo filed by Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, demanding an emergency sitting to consider a motion for a parliamentary probe into the controversial ‘cash-for-seat’ scandal involving the Trades Ministry.

The Minority has maintained their insistence for a bipartisan probe into the involvement of the Trades Ministry in the collection of between $15,000 and $100,000 from expatriate businesses to secure them a seat at the table of President Akufo-Addo at an awards ceremony on December 8, 2017.

The memo signed by Muntaka Mubarak and his counterpart from North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, believe the House must take urgent action on the matter which it has spoken against for the past few weeks.

Subsequently, the Speaker in pursuant to Article 113(3) of the Constitution and Order 38 (1) of the standing orders of parliament, has summoned parliament to sit at midday of Friday to deliberate over the matter.

The memo dated Friday, December 29, 2017, requested “all parliamentarians to attend upon the Huse for the consideration” of the Minority’s request.

Meanwhile, the Majority in Parliament has described as an effort in futility, the decision by the Minority to push for a parliamentary probe into the ‘cash-for-seat’ by controversy.

According to First Deputy Majority Whip Matthew Nyindam, the move will lead nowhere.

Mathew Nyindam cited two instances where the NDC then in the majority, blocked requests from the NPP side for the House to be recalled. Those requests he listed, included issues emanating from the sale of Merchant Bank to Fortiz as well as then-President John Mahama’s decision to accept a Ford vehicle from a contractor as a gift.